Today, we took a break from a myriad of work-related tasks and cruised through a part of Sullivan called Smallwood. This community has a mixture of summer and year-round residents. Accordingly, some of the homes for sale are three-season bungalows that are used as second homes or rentals. The rest are regular four-season homes.
What makes Smallwood appealing to us is its combination of a country-like, private feel within a neighborhood. Nestled in the woods and bordering some lakes and ponds, no home is like any other and yet it feels and looks like the neighbors know one another. No one has more than a half acre and everyone is welcome to join the lake association or the pool club – or not. Community exists and that’s relevant to us.
It’s not surprising that we like it because our Yorktown Heights neighborhood in Westchester was also a former, summer bungalow community. There’s a vibe that’s hard to name, but it reminds me of summer camp in Maine.
When we found our home in Yorktown Heights, we were house looking as opposed to house hunting. Many people had told us, that we would probably need to look at dozens of properties before we found one we’d like. In our case, that wasn’t so. We found our dream home in weeks, not months.
Truth is, we are putting down roots in Sullivan. After only two years, we have been to every elementary school and many of the middle schools. We are involved in numerous, significant programs where we are respected players and we really like the people who work in the community or on behalf of its residents. There’s room to grow and it feels good.
So, why not settle down? Why not find a comfortable home that makes us happy? Alternatively, is it wise to tie up our money in an asset and limit our flexibility?
These are good questions we’ll be pondering.
